Closing Remarks at Civil-Military
Environmental Conference Ambassador Martin J. Silverstein May 15, 2003
AMBASSADOR
SILVERSTEIN EMPHASIZED THE ENVIRONMENT MUST BE PROTECTED
FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
U.S. Ambassador Martin Silverstein stated that “we
need to be creative and apply what resources society has
at its disposal to protect the environment for future generations.”
At the closing ceremony of the Conference “Exploring
Opportunities for Civil-Military Cooperation to Protect
the Environment in South America” held from May 13
at the Sheraton Hotel, the U.S. diplomatic representative
added that “the military, as a part of and defender
of civil society should have a natural role in this.”
Following is the transcript of Ambassador
Silverstein’s
remarks.
Distinguished guests. I am pleased to be here with you
today to give remarks on what has been an excellent conference.
I hope that this week’s efforts will serve in exactly
the way stated by Dr. DeKay (from our Environmental Protection
Agency) in his opening remarks when he said that this conference
should serve to enhance contacts in order to facilitate
continued communication and cooperation between not only
the civil and military sectors, but between nations.
As we well know, our habitat cannot be managed only from
any Ministry of the Environment. It really needs to be
a community effort and has to engage all sectors. In this
conference, sponsored by military and civilian organizations,
we have chosen on reinforcing the links between the military
and civil society. We have focused on the idea that the
civilian environmental authorities can make use of the
training, professionalism, and capabilities of their defense
forces to overcome some of the challenges of environmental
protection. The military can also use these missions to
conduct training in logistics, command and control and
in many cases, technical abilities. Under the conditions
that exist today, with our natural resources under threat
and our ability as governments to cope, we need to be creative
and apply what resources society has at its disposal to
protect the environment for future generations. And the
military, as a part of and defender of civil society should
(and does) have a natural role in this.
So, besides the obvious pleasure of visiting (and for
those of us lucky few, living in) Montevideo, what have
we accomplished in these last few days?
The topic of the conference, “Exploring Opportunities
for Civil-Military Cooperation to Protect the Environment
in South America”, appears to suggest that cooperation
has not been executed well in the past. However, during
this conference we have seen excellent examples that show
that cooperation not only has existed, but that it has
worked very well…to the benefit of the community.
And that is why we are here. Our populations count on us,
their governmental officials to act on their behalf and
for their welfare. Therefore, we are obligated to strive
to use all our energy and creative ability to accomplish
our charge.
Environmental problems are often man-made in origin.
They are the result of man’s genius and drive to
improve his way of life. This desire to improve our lives
manifests itself in how a community works together to
solve the problems of external threats, poverty, hunger,
shelter and illiteracy. As science and engineering have
progressed to create the chemicals, farming techniques
and construction methods that sometimes harm our environment,
they have also provided us the tools to measure and anticipate
the damage…as well as the technological and organizational
means to prevent and repair. However, it isn’t
science and engineering that effect change…it is
people and communities.
The phenomenon of environmental degradation
is complex and far-reaching. Every action made by each
member of the
world community can have far-reaching consequences. For
example, Under Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky recently
wrote about the link between consuming narcotics and the
destruction of the environment. In her editorial, entitled “If
You Want to Save the Environment, Don’t Do Drugs,” she
pointed out that purchasing cocaine or heroine enables
a cycle resulting in the destruction of rain forests thousands
of miles away. This isn’t the only example, but it
illustrates my point very well. Individuals, non-governmental
organizations, armies, and governments can’t save
the environment on their own. Saving the environment requires
local community participation. Saving the environment requires
education. Saving the environment demands and deserves
the attention and cooperation of every member of our global
community every day, in every choice we make in how to
live our lives. With the cooperation of the communities
we represent, we can preserve our environment for generations
to come.
So, what have we accomplished by having a civil-military
environmental conference if the participation of the community
is more important than the sum of our individual efforts?
I hope that when we bid each other farewell that we will
take with us ideas on how to better combine forces within
our states as well as with each other to combat natural
disasters, remedy past environmental damage, and assist
in the enforcement of environmental policy. Unfortunately,
we have not arrived at a time when all communities work
harmoniously toward the goal of sustainable development.
And until the time that we do, we shall need the dedicated
efforts of men and women like you.
What we have accomplished is to take
another step toward using our genius and drive to formulate
plans to creatively
face the challenges of water pollution, soil erosion, natural
disasters, deforestation, endangered and invasive species,
and criminal incursions related to these issues. We have
provided each other with the contacts, tools, and ideas
to continue to improve our efforts to protect our children’s
legacy. I hope that we have also provided good examples
of how to integrate the military, within the law, to do
missions like surveillance, logistics, and horizontal construction
to make a difference in an integrated, well-managed effort
to save the environment.
You only have to look at your children
to understand how important it is to protect our environment.
Just as one
works everyday to ensure their children’s future
through the provision of food, security, clothing and educational
opportunities, one must seek to leave them a world in which
they can grow and prosper. In order to do that, we must
ensure the survival of our habitat. It simply isn’t
possible anymore, due to growing populations and industrialization,
to count on nature to absorb man’s problems. Society
must take decisive and coordinated action. However, we
live in a world of limited financial resources and the
environment has not taken pride of place on the list of
challenges we face. Therefore, governments have to seek
creative solutions like involving their militaries in non-traditional
roles that serve society while conforming to the norms
that regulate them.
Why is the United States interested
in promoting environmental protection in the Western
Hemisphere? The answer is that
in order to protect our children’s legacy, we must
cooperate as a community of people sharing a finite habitat.
The problem is complex and involves every member of the
American community. I refer to us all as citizens of the
community of the Americas, members of a greater society
that faces a complex and subtle threat. We must act as
a community in order to fully overcome that threat.
The United States doesn’t have all the answers and
we certainly can’t solve all the challenges by ourselves.
We still face environmental problems in the United States
and want to explore alternate means of facing them while
sharing what we have learned with you. For that reason,
we will continue to cooperate and work with you to learn
what has been effective in Argentina or Ecuador or to tell
you what hasn’t worked so well in the USA. We seek
to gain synergy by the combination and coordination of
our research, experience and efforts to continue the fight
against the destruction of the environment and our society.
I hope that when you return home,
you will continue to engage each other through e-mail,
phone and fax. When an
opportunity arises to use the military, I hope that you
now have the right points of contact to call to ask for
help. For the military members here today, I hope we have
given you some ideas of how to organize to respond to your
country’s call for help.
Currently, we plan to continue to engage on this issue,
potentially doing this again next year in a country to
be determined. We hope to grow more sophisticated, support
the already establish coordination cell, and work to reinforce
a network of well-trained and well-connected citizens of
our hemisphere.
This conference is an excellent example in and of itself
of civil-military cooperation. SOUTHCOM and the US Department
of State, along with the Uruguayan Ministries of Agriculture,
Environment, and Defense, worked to provide this forum
for you. I want to take this opportunity to thank Minister
of Defense Fau, Minister of Agriculture Gonzalez and Minister
of Housing and Land Use Management Irureta, for their assistance
and efforts in organizing this conference. I also want
to thank General James Hill of SOUTHCOM for ensuring that
the opportunities continue to occur.
I especially want to thank you, the men and women of the
Armed Forces, for taking the time to be here, for your
dedication, for your service.
Further information on the United States of America and
Embassy activities is available on the Internet at http://uruguay.usembassy.gov
